Let The Fall Reading Commence! With My September Reads.

     My September reading was definitely on the lighter side. With summer coming to an end, I was hoping I would have less to do and more time to relax at home, watch football and hockey on TV and read. But September was filled with birthday parties, weddings and other social gatherings with friends still. I only got through 8 books this month! One of them was a book I began in July, but had to return to the library and finished in this month. But, I actually physically read MORE books this month than audiobooks listened to. Not my favorite month of reading. Mostly average reads, with two that made 4 stars. Newer releases and popular books are included in this list, so don't let my less than stellar thoughts on some of these turn you away from them.

Does the Noise in My Head Bother You? by Steven Tyler
     Released: May 3, 2011
     Read from: 8/28/19-9/5/19
     Format: Audiobook (Overdrive)
     Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

     Steven Tyler is a very interesting human being, no one can deny that. His book definitely reflects his personality, that's for sure. I really liked how much he shared about his childhood and pre-Aerosmith life. He was also very open about his personal struggles. I don't exactly dislike Steven Tyler, but I don't love him either. Maybe I would've thought of this book as more than average if I was more of a fan, because I did find it very interesting. Just weird, and sort of long. Check out my Goodreads review for more.



Cape May by Chip Cheek
     Released: April 30, 2019 
     Read from: 8/27/19-9/7/19
     Format: Print (Library)
     Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

     "Lazy, gin-soaked afternoons. A marriage changed forever. Where would you draw the line?" -Celadon Books.
     Taking place in the 1950's, Effie and Henry are 18 and 20, newly married, and take their honeymoon trip down to Cape May in September. With a relatively empty town, the other young people they hook up with introduce them to some rather unorthodox ways of having fun. This book intrigued me, even though it was weird. Follow this link to my Goodreads review to learn more.



The Best Man by Richard Peck
     Released: September 20, 2016
     Read from: 9/5/19-9/7/19
     Format: Audiobook (Overdrive)
     Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

     I forgot to write this review on Goodreads, and when I got back to it two months later, I had forgotten a lot about it. Overall, this is a coming of age story, about a boy growing up throughout his grammar school years, learning to become open minded and dealing with different people. The story culminated with his uncle marrying his favorite student teacher, who was a mad. You can read more of my thoughts, as well as the publisher's synopsis for this book here.



Watching You by Lisa Jewell
     Released: December 26, 2018
     Read from: 7/10/19-9/12/19
     Format: Print (Library)
     Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

     People LOVE Lisa Jewell. This was my first book by her, and despite other people loving it, it just didn't do it for me. I enjoyed it more than just an "okay" book, but it didn't hit a high enough mark. Potentially because I had to return it before I finished it, and my reading was pretty choppy. I didn't put too much time into it at any one time to really get into it. But because Jewell is so popular, I intend to keep giving her books a chance, like I did with Ruth Ware, which paid off because I did find two that I liked by her a lot.
     This particular book takes place in London. Our main character is Joey Mullin, who develops a massive crush on her older neighbor, Tom Fitzwilliam. Tom happens to be married, have a young son Freddie, and work at a high school. Tom happens to be beloved by many. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. One woman is convinced he's stalking her. A teenage girl meets with him in secret. And another, twenty years prior, wrote of him in her diary.
     This book goes back and forth between different points of view and different years. It also includes a police interview, because someone was murdered. Many characters come into play, and they all connect in a twisted, potentially sick way. Check out my Goodreads review to learn more.



Trouble at Fort Lapointe by Kathleen Ernst
     Released: September 1, 2000
     Read from: 9/15/19-9/17/19
     Format: Print (Library)
     Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

     I have read this book twice now. Once as a middle schooler, at the age it was targeted to, and now as an adult, and I definitely appreciated it much more now. I LOVED this book, and can see why it was nominated for a children's mystery award. This story takes place in 1723 at a real place called La Pointe Island in Lake Superior. Our main character, Suzette, is half French, half Ojibwe. The mystery has to do with helping her family stay together, and I thought they did a good job implementing that. But my favorite part to be honest was all the history I learned. Nobody learns about that area of the country during the 1700's, we're too focused on Virginia and New England. What a fascinating time and place. Highly recommend to those who like history/learning new things. I wrote a nice review for it on Goodreads, which you can check out to learn more.



The Lost Symobol by Dan Brown
     Released: September 15, 2009
     Read from: 9/7/19-9/18/19
     Format: Audiobook (Overdrive)
     Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

     This book made me realize I need to stop listening to Dan Brown audiobooks, because either I really just don't like his stories anymore, or the audiobooks ruin it for me, because after reading The DaVinci Code, I listened to Angels and Demons and this book via audiobook and I really didn't like them. Becaus/e I hate not finishing series, I will continue on with these, just in print form.
     This was your typical Dan Brown book, so if you like them, you'll like this one. This one has to do with the secrets of the Free Masons. Find out more of my thoughts via my Goodreads review.



Catherine: The Great Journey, Russia, 1743
     Released: April 1, 2006
     Read from: 9/18/19-9/22/19
     Format: Print (Library)
     Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

     Another extremely interesting person, place and time. An important but unknown person in history to a lot of Americans. Catherine was a relatively common girl, compared to the Russian royals, but she finds herself leaving behind her family forever, traveling for weeks to an unknown land and marrying into the royal family. She becomes so important to Russian history that she was known to many as Catherine the Great. This is her story. Highly recommend checking this one, even though it is written for younger readers because not only is it an incredible story, the story flows very well and it doesn't feel like tedious learning at all. My Goodreads review will tell you even more.



Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
     Released: October 10, 2017
     Read from: 9/22/19-10/3/19
     Format: Print (Owned)
     Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

     John Green is an insanely popular author these days, and this was my first book by him. This is

more of a YA than an adult book but I think adults would benefit from it too. It deals intensely with anxiety and mental health. The main character is Aza, and she self harms, but not in the way you think. Her brain tells her conflicting things, and she can't stop the mind spirals that lead her to detrimental actions. She knows what she's doing is wrong but she can't help it. Her issues mess with her relationships with friends, her family, the guy she has a crush on.... And at the same time she is caught up in the mystery of where her crush's father has run off to. Is he dead or is he alive? The story revolves around the mystery but at the same time Aza's issues are very front and center. She tries her best to fight through them, even though they cause her to wind up in the hospital. She is most definitely a character you can root for and I felt bad for her. I just didn't think the story was exciting enough, and to be honest this story even gave ME anxiety while I was reading it.